Alma
Alma is a major character in Phantasy Star Online 2. She made her debut in the series by the game's fifth episode, Heroes: Episode 5, on July 26, 2017. Alma is revealed to be the first generation Claris Claes, one of the original Three Heroes and member of the Council of Six. Her ethereal body is composed entirely of photons after her physical form was destroyed by Luther in his experiments to copy her magical ability to manipulate time. Her photons persevered and survived the incident, and thus she became a spirit of the Akashic Record when she died. Only those with a connection to Xion can see her in her current state. This means that only the Player, Matoi, Xierra, and Xiao can see and speak to her, at least in terms of the heroes that Alma trusts. Alma blames her blunders with common social norms, such as knocking before entering into a room, as a result of being alone for an undefined period of time. Characteristics Appearance Because Alma's current form is actually the physical manifestation of Claris Claes, it is possible that Alma's original body looked different before her death in AP 207. Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode 0 gives a hint with a silhouette representing Alma as Claris Claes part of the original Council of Six cast. Just to the right of Xeno is Claris Claes with the distinctive ahoge curling out from her hair. Because it is a silhouette, no other distinctive features can be ascertained. In her current form, Alma has long, dirty blonde hair with side bangs obscuring the right side of her face. There are two large spikes near the sides of her head that attach to white and yellow barrettes. Their shape somewhat resembles fox ears. On the inside of her hair appears to be a deep blue shading with white sparkles for stars that represents space or the universe. She wears a necklace with a large, golden cross. Her outfit is the DeAlma One. It consists of a white, low cut jacket, belt, and bell bottoms with thick boots. The outfit has yellow and black accents. On the bottom of the right flap of the jacket there is a small motif that says ARKS, while the left flap has three ARKS stars lined vertically. Personality Alma is an outgoing young lady that is very friendly and makes friends with even the most serious and intimidating of individuals with ease. She became close enough to Regius and Maria to give them nicknames, much to their chagrin. Although friendly, Alma can come across as quite forward with her insistence of childishly nicknaming people without their permission. She sometimes gets a little carried away in her own world and accidentally causes a social mishap, such as when she appeared out of nowhere upon first introducing herself to Player and company on the ARKS ship, surprising the group. They had to make her take a step back to explain herself. History In Episode 5 Chapter 0: Meaning Behind the Name Claris Claes, Alma revealed that she and the person referred to as Claris Claes are two separate entities contained within the same body. Alma was born with a weak, sickly body and was usually bedridden. Because of boredom due to the lack of mental stimulation, she started communicating with the photons in her body. Over time, these photons gained a personality of its own which became a type of split personality for Alma. This personality was described as rude but was immensely powerful in combat. Alma would willingly allow the photons to take control of her during battle when she had trouble moving her body. The photons were very eager to take control, and because Alma relied so heavily on their assistance, the presence became known as "Claris Claes." Although Alma never personally cared what she was called, Regius and Maria insisted that Alma was Alma and never referred to her directly as Claris Claes. When Alma died to Luther's experiments, Claris Claes gave Alma its physical manifestation of a body. In other words, the spirit of Alma is utilizing the physical representation of Claris Claes as a vessel, without Claris Claes being part of her anymore. In Alma's words, Claris Claes was not protecting her. It simply donated the body to repay Alma back for allowing Claris to take control in the past. Before Claris Claes disappeared, it told Alma, "Now we're even!" Trivia *Alma prefers to be called "Alma" without honorifics, and insists that she is called this name instead of Claris Claes as respect to Regius and Maria's wishes. Matoi defies this because of her respectful nature and calls her "Alma-san." *Alma refers to her old friends in the Council with endearing nicknames. Gii-kun is Regius, Rii-chan is Maria, and Suu-kun is Casra. When she speaks to Matoi, she calls her Second Generation-chan (Nidaime-chan). *Casra reportedly got noticeably upset when Regius and Maria confused Alma's abilities as mere techniques. He would say, "How ridiculous. This is magic." Gallery Ss character01 01.jpg Ss character01 02.jpg Ss character01 03.jpg References & Notes Category:Phantasy Star Online 2 Characters Category:Humans